Medina could seek second re-election in 2020

President Danilo Medina met last week with representatives of minority political of the Bloque Progresista and other politicians that backed his past bid for re-election in the 2016 general election. An alliance with minority parties and past opposition parties, mainly the PRD, allowed for sufficient votes to change the 2012 Constitution that banned consecutive re-election at the time.

Also present were Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo and Education Minister Andres Navarro.

After the meeting at the Presidential Palace, former PRD senator turned PLD senator for Azua, Rafael Calderón, announced that if the circumstances were right and the moment in history compelling he saw the possibility of proposing again to modify the Constitution to enable the re-election of President Danilo Medina in 2020. Calderon said that the PLD has to go with the candidate that will guarantee a win. He said this could be with former President Leonel Fernandez, with Vice President Margarita Cedeno or with the president of the Senate Reinaldo Pared Perez.

In 2015, the ruling PLD party maneuvered to gain the necessary votes in the legislature to change the 2012 Constitution that had banned consecutive re-election. The resulting 2015 Constitution establishes that a candidate can run twice and then cannot run again.

The ruling PLD party is absolute majority in both houses of the legislature and the new alliance with the PRD would seemingly make it easier to change the 2015 Constitution to prepare for a re-run of President Medina in 2020.

On Saturday, in an editorial in Diario Libre, keen managing editor Ines Aizpún remarked that with a slow economy and the Odebrecht issues not resolved, to talk about reelection and changes in the Constitution was “an insult to the intelligence of the citizens of this country.”